'We can't wait': Issa fights back against 'green tape' regulations impacting firefighters

Issa, who represents California's 48th Congressional District, is putting forward the Green Tape Elimination Act which would exempt hazardous fuel reduction activities on federal lands from federal regulations for a decade. 

Eliminating those regulatory burdens, Issa says, will allow firefighters to clear brush, cut shrubs, prescribe fires, along with other fire prevention activities without being hindered by six major federal environmental regulations.

Those regulations include the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, Clean Air Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and Migratory Bird Conservation Act.

"For years, environmental rules have become regulatory 'green tape' - locking in dangerous conditions and contradicting common sense reforms," Issa, who will be touring the Palisade Fire devastation with President Trump on Friday, told Fox News Digital. "That's why this is no time for tinkering around the edges. We can't wait for the next deadly disaster."

"Giving a blank check to finance even more of California's mismanagement would be like giving matches to an arsonist," Issa continued. "We're dedicated to helping the victims of this disaster first and working to prevent the next one. It's a message I'll bring to President Trump when I see him today in Los Angeles."

The Golden State's struggles with preventing or at least moderating severe wildfires over the past few decades has been a longstanding concern that was only exacerbated by the recent Eaton Fire and Palisades fire which killed at least 28 people. 

Many have argued that a wide range of federal and state regulations make it more difficult to conduct mitigation activities, like prescribed burns or treatments to remove hazardous trees and vegetation.